• darthelmet@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Tbf, it’s not like physics stuff is always obvious, especially when dealing with relativity or quantum mechanics. It just feels obvious if you’ve already learned about the research that’s already been done.

    It isn’t even remotely intuitive that light should have a max speed that can’t be added to by moving its source relative to other things. Plus, light does interact with matter, but it can only be slowed down by it.

    So less a stupid question and more just one that isn’t educated about something.

    • carl_dungeon@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      Yeah yeah, I know. I was mostly just kidding. Everything is magic if you’re ignorant and we shouldn’t shit on people for not knowing something and props to them for asking and seeking knowledge and all that.

      But it’s really sad that very basic science like radio waves which are introduced in 5th or 6th grade could be so completely misunderstood.

      I remember my 6th grade science class having a lively 15 minute discussion about whether or not rockets can work in space since there’s no air…. We’re looking at videos of rockets working in space and then debating whether or not they do. 🙄

      • fishbone@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        7 hours ago

        Not everyone went to the same school, and not everyone went to school, for any number of reasons. I first attended a health class in college.

      • pixelscript@lemm.ee
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        13 hours ago

        I remember my 6th grade science class having a lively 15 minute discussion about whether or not rockets can work in space since there’s no air…. We’re looking at videos of rockets working in space and then debating whether or not they do. 🙄

        This feels a tad different than the person in the screenshot. Screenshot person fundamentally misunderstood how radio waves worked. Meanwhile, 6th grade you absolutely understood how rockets worked, at least to the level of understanding that they need air to work. Because you were right the whole time, those kinds of rockets can’t work in space without air. The slightly absurd solution that you wouldn’t readily know without a deeper understanding of how the rocket is built is that a rocket literally brings its own air with it!

        • carl_dungeon@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          Yeah- you make good points. I think what I was upset about was that we started with a given (they obviously work in space) and then half the class argued they didn’t for a while.

          A better question would have been “how can they work since space has no air in space?” which leads to great q & a I think.

    • theUwUhugger@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      Quantum physics is not logical, every other field of physics is! Shame that instead of logic we are taught fucking equations, as if we could look up logical conclusions like equations…

    • eating3645@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      Even less intuitively, the fan would increase the air pressure between the router and receiver, slowing light down slightly. So it would end up (imperceptibly) slowing the signal down.